School preview — Sugar Creek Elementary

Published 6:00 am Wednesday, August 15, 2018

School preview — Sugar Creek Elementary

School name: Sugar Creek Elementary

Principal: Cleo Miller

Amount of time as principal: 13 years total (11 years at Owens Elementary, second year at Sugar Creek)

Grades: Pre-K–5

Total number of students: 645

Total number of teachers: 45

Total number of staff: 40

New programs: “We are rekindling the Leader in Me program. It is not new but we have had some new training and additional coaching since we merged the two schools (Owens and Sugar Creek Elementary) last year. We are not implementing any new programs but we are employing a valuable tool, instructional rounds, that will be used to enhance teaching and learning. Instructional Rounds are a unique opportunity for teachers to identify a problem of practice and collaborate to improve by focusing on the instructional core. We will continue our Phonics First reading program, which is a research-based early reading program for kindergarteners and first-graders. Second-graders will continue with the Orton-Gillingham reading program. (Reading) Wonders will provide the framework for grades 3-5.”

What makes Sugar Creek Elementary special: “The teachers, students and the parents. The teachers are about building relationships and cooperating and working together to put the best strategies together to help our students. We welcome our parents to work with us too.”

Primary objectives for 2018-2019: “My primary focus this year will be to emphasize and highlight the mindset that All Kids Can. All students can be leaders regardless of circumstances. It will be a team effort to make sure all students are learning the essential skills necessary to be ready for the next grade.”

What the principal is looking forward to: “I think working with teachers and students and parents to further develop relationships with the community and to provide the students with what they need to be better citizens and be able to transition into middle school. We want them to take those things they have learned to middle school and on into high school. We want to get them ready for each level.”